Page 4 of Unholy Bonds

Pulling my scarf up to my chin, I walked toward where Phil was. He was screaming at the woman, drunk from alcohol and rejection. But assholes are assholes drunk or sober, and that was one thing that’d never change.

“If you didn’t want it, why did you come here, you little slut?”

It was unfortunate Phil chose this pub, this time—but this was what I called destiny. The stars had aligned. It was time for a story, a kill.

“You cunt…” Phil howled.

If women didn’t give men what they wanted, they were whores, cunts. Men like Phil… they were the best fodder for my demons.

“What did you call me, Phil? You fucking—” The woman took in a deep breath and threw her beer at him. Seething, he gripped her shoulder, making her wince.

My nostrils flared with distaste. I took a step toward him and stopped when I saw the snake tattoo walking toward Phil; his movements exuded a predatory grace. I recognized the animal within him. The violent screams ripping out of his soul—I heard it like it was in my head. An icy shiver ran down my spine. It wasn’t fear—it was desire.

I couldn’t stop looking. The way he carried himself mesmerized me—he walked like the world belonged to him. A strange mix of anticipation and excitement pulsed through my veins, and my heart pounded in sync with the unfolding drama.

“She said no, didn’t she? Let her go. NOW,” he snarled, and I staggered back from the force of malice in his voice. I could only see his back, but I could feel how angry he was.

Phil looked unbothered by the warning. A simple fool was what he was. A simple, dick-less fool who used women to make himself feel more masculine, more powerful, but he’d never feel actual power.

“I said, fucking let her go,” the snake tattoo growled, ripping Phil’s hand away from the woman’s shoulder.

His voice was dark and hoarse like he was singing a rhapsody about bloody death, and it stirred something primal within me.

I had this urge to take this man to my house and have my way with him. Usually, having my way would be murder. But this time, I wanted more. I wanted his cock inside me, his lean body moving above me, his teeth marking my naked flesh. Taking me. Branding me. Ruining me.

I wanted his animal to please me. I wanted to please the animal.

Bloodlust was familiar. This raw, naked desire… strange.

“Who’s she? Your fuckin’ wife? Get the hell away, you motherfucker.”

Phil was bigger, but I knew he wouldn’t win against tall, dark, and tatted. He radiated a savage power that seemed to crackle around him like electricity.

“Do not test my patience. I’m not a patient man,” the velvety voice warned.

I had a feeling that I had stumbled upon another like me—someone who harbored the same dark impulses as me, whose monsters woke up with a slight misstep.

“What are you going to do? Huh? You motherfucking—” A punch stopped him. He stumbled back, bleeding from his nose, wailing in pain. I watched with satisfaction as Phil’s eyes filled with tears, but he wasn’t done yet. His venomous eyes met the woman because he was too much of a coward to face the man who just humiliated him.

“I’ll come for you, you bitch, and you’ll regret this night for the rest of your life. How dare you play me! You-you—”

“I didn’t play you. This was supposed to be a date and—” The woman stopped with a shuddering breath.

The snake tattoo gripped Phil by his hair, pulling him closer. “If you don’t walk away now, you’ll regret ever crossing paths with me.” It wasn’t merely a threat; it was a promise. “GO.”

My heart jumped when I heard his voice screaming with hidden violence. I felt his anger as if it were a tangible creature, with claws, fangs, and red eyes.

“What’s your problem, you asshole?” Phil scowled. “Why don’t you go find someone else to fuck and leave her the fuck alone? She came with me.” He whirled around to glare at the woman. “Stop pretending like you aren’t a whore. I bought you a thirty-dollar dinner.”

The man with the snake tattoo growled as he moved the girl behind him. He threw a hundred dollars at Phil. “Here’s your thirty. I added another seventy to keep your mouth shut,” he said before turning to the woman. She was looking at him like he had saved her from between a shark’s teeth. He might very well have. “Do you want to leave?”

“Yes,” she said and wiped her tears.

“Come on, I’ll take you home. And you… don’t even think about going anywhere near her.”

Take her home? No.

My body went rigid. Was I wrong? How could I be so wrong?

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